Articles | Volume 15, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5205-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5205-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
25 Nov 2021
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 25 Nov 2021
| 25 Nov 2021
Seasonal evolution of Antarctic supraglacial lakes in 2015–2021 and links to environmental controls
Mariel C. Dirscherl
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Münchener Straße 20, 82234 Weßling, Germany
Andreas J. Dietz
German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Münchener Straße 20, 82234 Weßling, Germany
Claudia Kuenzer
German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Münchener Straße 20, 82234 Weßling, Germany
Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
Related authors
No articles found.
Zacharie Barrou Dumont, Simon Gascoin, Jordi Inglada, Andreas Dietz, Jonas Köhler, Matthieu Lafaysse, Diego Monteiro, Carlo Carmagnola, Arthur Bayle, Jean-Pierre Dedieu, Olivier Hagolle, and Philippe Choler
The Cryosphere, 19, 2407–2429, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2407-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2407-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We generated annual maps of snow melt-out days at 20 m resolution over a period of 38 years from 10 different satellites. This study fills a knowledge gap regarding the evolution of mountain snow in Europe by covering a much longer period and characterizing trends at much higher resolutions than previous studies. We found a trend for earlier melt-out with average reductions of 5.51 d per decade over the French Alps and 4.04 d per decade over the Pyrenees for the period 1986–2023.
Andreas J. Dietz and Sebastian Roessler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-382, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-382, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The "Global SnowPack" product of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) contains binary information about the presence or absence of snow on a global scale since the year 2000. Now incorporating new input datasets, it was possible to increase the spatial resolution to 370 m. The detailed accuracy assessment proves the feasibility of the applied methods to remove data gaps caused by clouds and polar darkness.
Erik Loebel, Celia A. Baumhoer, Andreas Dietz, Mirko Scheinert, and Martin Horwath
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 65–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-65-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-65-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier calving front positions are important for understanding glacier dynamics and constraining ice modelling. We apply a deep-learning framework to multi-spectral Landsat imagery to create a calving front record for 42 key outlet glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet. The resulting data product includes 4817 calving front locations from 2013 to 2023 and achieves sub-seasonal temporal resolution.
Thorsten Hoeser, Stefanie Feuerstein, and Claudia Kuenzer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4251–4270, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4251-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4251-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The DeepOWT (Deep-learning-derived Offshore Wind Turbines) data set provides offshore wind energy infrastructure locations and their temporal deployment dynamics from July 2016 until June 2021 on a global scale. It differentiates between offshore wind turbines, platforms under construction, and offshore wind farm substations. It is derived by applying deep-learning-based object detection to Sentinel-1 imagery.
Celia A. Baumhoer, Andreas J. Dietz, Christof Kneisel, Heiko Paeth, and Claudia Kuenzer
The Cryosphere, 15, 2357–2381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2357-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2357-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a record of circum-Antarctic glacier and ice shelf front change over the last two decades in combination with potential environmental variables forcing frontal retreat. Along the Antarctic coastline, glacier and ice shelf front retreat dominated between 1997–2008 and advance between 2009–2018. Decreasing sea ice days, intense snowmelt, weakening easterly winds, and relative changes in sea surface temperature were identified as enabling factors for glacier and ice shelf front retreat.
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Antarctic
Brief communication: Sensitivity of Antarctic ice shelf melting to ocean warming across basal melt models
Automatic grounding line delineation of DInSAR interferograms using deep learning
The impact of regional-scale upper-mantle heterogeneity on glacial isostatic adjustment in West Antarctica
Bathymetry-constrained warm-mode melt estimates derived from analysing oceanic gateways in Antarctica
Satellite data reveal details of glacial isostatic adjustment in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica
Review article: Feature tracing in radio-echo sounding products of terrestrial ice sheets and planetary bodies
Viscoelastic mechanics of tidally induced lake drainage in the grounding zone
A facet-based numerical model to retrieve ice sheet topography from Sentinel-3 altimetry
Current reversal leads to regime change in the Amery Ice Shelf cavity in the 21st century
Speed-up, slowdown, and redirection of ice flow on neighbouring ice streams in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler region of West Antarctica
Changes in Antarctic surface conditions and potential for ice shelf hydrofracturing from 1850 to 2200
A reconstruction of the ice thickness of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet north of 70° S
Bathymetry-constrained impact of relative sea-level change on basal melting in Antarctica
Age–depth distribution in western Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, and Antarctic-wide comparisons of internal reflection horizons
Assessing the sensitivity of the Vanderford Glacier, East Antarctica, to basal melt and calving
A history-matching analysis of the Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Interglacial – Part 1: Ice sheet evolution
Gravity-derived Antarctic bathymetry using the Tomofast-x open-source code: a case study of Vincennes Bay
Totten Ice Shelf history over the past century interpreted from satellite imagery
ISMIP6-based Antarctic projections to 2100: simulations with the BISICLES ice sheet model
Assessing the suitability of sites near Pine Island Glacier for subglacial bedrock drilling aimed at detecting Holocene retreat–readvance
Capturing Solid Earth and Ice Sheet Interactions: Insights from Reinforced Ridges in Thwaites Glacier
Modelling GNSS-observed seasonal velocity changes of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, using the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM)
The surface mass balance and near-surface climate of the Antarctic ice sheet in RACMO2.4p1
Monitoring Shear-Zone Weakening in East Antarctic Outlet Glaciers through Differential InSAR Measurements
A fast and simplified subglacial hydrological model for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and outlet glaciers
Thwaites Glacier thins and retreats fastest where ice-shelf channels intersect its grounding zone
Melt sensitivity of irreversible retreat of Pine Island Glacier
A model framework for atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange and the associated isotope effects at Dome Argus, Antarctica – Part 1: The diurnal changes
Review Article: Antarctica’s internal architecture: Towards a radiostratigraphically-informed age–depth model of the Antarctic ice sheets
A thicker, rather than thinner, East Antarctic Ice Sheet plateau during the Last Glacial Maximum
The long-term sea-level commitment from Antarctica
The influence of present-day regional surface mass balance uncertainties on the future evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet
How well can satellite altimetry and firn models resolve Antarctic firn thickness variations?
Feedback mechanisms controlling Antarctic glacial-cycle dynamics simulated with a coupled ice sheet–solid Earth model
The effect of ice shelf rheology on shelf edge bending
Hysteresis of idealized, instability-prone outlet glaciers in response to pinning-point buttressing variation
A physics-based Antarctic melt detection technique: combining Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2, radiative-transfer modeling, and firn modeling
Brief communication: Precision measurement of the index of refraction of deep glacial ice at radio frequencies at Summit Station, Greenland
Widespread increase in discharge from west Antarctic Peninsula glaciers since 2018
Surface dynamics and history of the calving cycle of Astrolabe Glacier (Adélie Coast, Antarctica) derived from satellite imagery
Weak relationship between remotely detected crevasses and inferred ice rheological parameters on Antarctic ice shelves
Extensive palaeo-surfaces beneath the Evans–Rutford region of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet control modern and past ice flow
Towards the systematic reconnaissance of seismic signals from glaciers and ice sheets – Part 1: Event detection for cryoseismology
Towards the systematic reconnaissance of seismic signals from glaciers and ice sheets – Part 2: Unsupervised learning for source process characterization
Geometric amplification and suppression of ice-shelf basal melt in West Antarctica
Alpine topography of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, Antarctica, mapped from ice sheet surface morphology
Impact of boundary conditions on the modeled thermal regime of the Antarctic ice sheet
The staggered retreat of grounded ice in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)
The effect of landfast sea ice buttressing on ice dynamic speedup in the Larsen B embayment, Antarctica
Meteoric water and glacial melt in the southeastern Amundsen Sea: a time series from 1994 to 2020
Erwin Lambert and Clara Burgard
The Cryosphere, 19, 2495–2505, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2495-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2495-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The effect of ocean warming on Antarctic ice-sheet melting is a major source of uncertainty in estimates of future sea level rise. We compare five melt models to show that ocean warming strongly increases melting. Despite their calibration based on present-day melting, the models disagree on the amount of melt increase. In some important regions, the difference reaches a factor 100. We conclude that using various melt models is important to accurately estimate uncertainties in future sea level rise.
Sindhu Ramanath, Lukas Krieger, Dana Floricioiu, Codruț-Andrei Diaconu, and Konrad Heidler
The Cryosphere, 19, 2431–2455, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2431-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2431-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Grounding lines are geophysical features that divide ice masses on the bedrock and floating ice shelves. Their accurate location is required for calculating the mass balance of ice sheets and glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland. Human experts still manually detect them in satellite-based interferometric radar images, which is inefficient given the growing volume of data. We have developed an artificial-intelligence-based automatic detection algorithm to generate Antarctica-wide grounding lines.
Erica M. Lucas, Natalya Gomez, and Terry Wilson
The Cryosphere, 19, 2387–2405, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2387-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2387-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the effects of incorporating regional-scale lateral variability (ca. 50–100 km) in upper-mantle structure into models of Earth deformation and sea level change associated with ice mass changes in West Antarctica. Regional-scale variability in upper-mantle structure is found to impact relative sea level and crustal rate predictions for modern (last ca. 25–125 years) and projected (next ca. 300 years) ice mass changes, especially in coastal regions that undergo rapid ice mass loss.
Lena Nicola, Ronja Reese, Moritz Kreuzer, Torsten Albrecht, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 19, 2263–2287, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2263-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2263-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We identify potential oceanic gateways to Antarctic grounding lines based on high-resolution bathymetry data and examine the effect of access depths on ice-shelf melt rates. These gateways manifest the deepest topographic features that could channel warm water masses to the base of the ice sheet. We identify oceanic gateways in several Antarctic regions and estimate an upper bound of melt rate changes in case all warm water masses gain access to the cavities.
Matthias O. Willen, Bert Wouters, Taco Broerse, Eric Buchta, and Veit Helm
The Cryosphere, 19, 2213–2227, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2213-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2213-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Amundsen Sea Embayment is likely in the near future. Vertical uplift of bedrock due to glacial isostatic adjustment stabilizes the ice sheet and may delay its collapse. So far, only spatially and temporally sparse GPS measurements have been able to observe this bedrock motion. We have combined satellite data and quantified a region-wide bedrock motion that independently matches GPS measurements. This can improve ice sheet predictions.
Hameed Moqadam and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 19, 2159–2196, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2159-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2159-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This is an overview of methodologies that have been applied to map the internal reflection horizons, or ice-layer boundaries, of ice sheets on Earth and other planets. We briefly explain radar applications in glaciology and the methods which have been used and published. There are summaries of the published work of the last 2 decades. Finally, we conclude by introducing the gaps and opportunities for further advancement in this field, and we present possible future directions.
Hanwen Zhang, Richard F. Katz, and Laura A. Stevens
The Cryosphere, 19, 2087–2103, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2087-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2087-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In Antarctica, supraglacial lakes often form near grounding lines due to surface melting. We model viscoelastic tidal flexure in these regions to assess its contribution to lake drainage via hydrofracturing. Results show that tidal flexure and lake-water pressure jointly control drainage near unconfined grounding lines. Sensitivity analysis indicates the importance of the Maxwell time of ice in modulating the tidal response.
Jérémie Aublanc, François Boy, Franck Borde, and Pierre Féménias
The Cryosphere, 19, 1937–1954, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1937-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1937-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we developed a novel processing chain to derive the ice sheet topography from Sentinel-3 altimetry measurements (named "AMPLI"). The major innovation lies in the use of numerical simulations to geolocate the radar impact point on the ground. The performance improvement is substantial compared to ground segment processing. Furthermore, with AMPLI we show that Sentinel-3 estimates the surface elevation change of the Antarctic ice sheet with a high level of agreement with ICESat-2.
Jing Jin, Antony J. Payne, and Christopher Y. S. Bull
The Cryosphere, 19, 1873–1896, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1873-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1873-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Amery Ice Shelf cavity is one of the largest cold cavities filled by relatively cold Dense Shelf Water. However, in this study, we show that warm intrusion of modified Circumpolar Deep Water flushes the Amery cavity, which changes it from a cold cavity to a warm cavity and leads to an abrupt increase in the basal melt rate in the 2060s. The shift to a warm cavity is attributed to a freshening-driven current reversal in front of the ice shelf.
Heather L. Selley, Anna E. Hogg, Benjamin J. Davison, Pierre Dutrieux, and Thomas Slater
The Cryosphere, 19, 1725–1738, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1725-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1725-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We used satellite observations to measure recent changes in ice speed and flow direction in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler region of West Antarctica (2005–2022). We found substantial speed-up on seven ice streams of up to 87 %. However, Kohler West Glacier has slowed by 10 %, due to the redirection of ice flow into its rapidly thinning neighbour. This process of “ice piracy” has not previously been directly observed on this rapid timescale and may influence future ice shelf and sheet mass changes.
Nicolas C. Jourdain, Charles Amory, Christoph Kittel, and Gaël Durand
The Cryosphere, 19, 1641–1674, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1641-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1641-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
A mixed statistical–physical approach is used to reproduce the behaviour of a regional climate model. From that, we estimate the contribution of snowfall and melting at the surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to changes in global mean sea level. We also investigate the impact of surface melting in a warmer climate on the stability of the Antarctic ice shelves that provide back stress on the ice flow to the ocean.
Kaian Shahateet, Johannes J. Fürst, Francisco Navarro, Thorsten Seehaus, Daniel Farinotti, and Matthias Braun
The Cryosphere, 19, 1577–1597, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1577-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1577-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In the present work, we provide a new ice thickness reconstruction of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet north of 70º S using inversion modeling. This model consists of two steps: the first uses basic assumptions of the rheology of the glacier, and the second uses mass conservation to improve the reconstruction where the assumptions made previously are expected to fail. Validation with independent data showed that our reconstruction improved compared to other reconstructions that are available.
Moritz Kreuzer, Torsten Albrecht, Lena Nicola, Ronja Reese, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 19, 1181–1203, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1181-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1181-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The study investigates how changing sea levels around Antarctica can potentially affect the melting of floating ice shelves. It utilizes numerical models for both the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the solid Earth, investigating features like troughs and sills that control the flow of ocean water onto the continental shelf. The research finds that compared to climatic changes, the effect of relative sea level on ice-shelf melting is small.
Steven Franke, Daniel Steinhage, Veit Helm, Alexandra M. Zuhr, Julien A. Bodart, Olaf Eisen, and Paul Bons
The Cryosphere, 19, 1153–1180, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1153-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1153-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The study presents internal reflection horizons (IRHs) over an area of 450 000 km² from western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, spanning 4.8–91 ka. Using radar and ice core data, nine IRHs were dated and correlated with volcanic events. The data enhance our understanding of the ice sheet's age–depth architecture, accumulation, and dynamics. The findings inform ice flow models and contribute to Antarctic-wide comparisons of IRHs, supporting efforts toward a 3D age–depth ice sheet model.
Lawrence A. Bird, Felicity S. McCormack, Johanna Beckmann, Richard S. Jones, and Andrew N. Mackintosh
The Cryosphere, 19, 955–973, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-955-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-955-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Vanderford Glacier is the fastest-retreating glacier in East Antarctica and may have important implications for future ice loss from the Aurora Subglacial Basin. Our ice sheet model simulations suggest that grounding line retreat is driven by sub-ice-shelf basal melting, in which warm ocean waters melt ice close to the grounding line. We show that current estimates of basal melt are likely too low, highlighting the need for improved estimates and direct measurements of basal melt in the region.
Benoit S. Lecavalier and Lev Tarasov
The Cryosphere, 19, 919–953, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-919-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-919-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) over the last 200 kyr by means of a history-matching analysis where an updated observational database constrained ~ 10 000 model simulations. During peak glaciation at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the best-fitting sub-ensemble of AIS simulations reached an excess grounded ice volume relative to the present of 9.2 to 26.5 m equivalent sea level relative to the present. The LGM AIS volume can help resolve the LGM missing-ice problem.
Lawrence A. Bird, Vitaliy Ogarko, Laurent Ailleres, Lachlan Grose, Jeremie Giraud, Felicity S. McCormack, David E. Gwyther, Jason L. Roberts, Richard S. Jones, and Andrew N. Mackintosh
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-211, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-211, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The terrain of the seafloor has important controls on the access of warm water to below floating ice shelves around Antarctica. Here, we present an open-source method to infer what the seafloor looks like around the Antarctic continent, and within these ice shelf cavities, using measurements of the Earth’s gravitational field. We present an improved seafloor map for the Vincennes Bay region in East Antarctica and assess its impact on ice melt rates.
Bertie W. J. Miles, Tian Li, and Robert G. Bingham
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3964, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3964, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Totten Glacier is the largest source of mass loss in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, with thinning detected since the 1990s, though the onset remains unclear. Ice-speed anomalies show no acceleration since 1973, confirming imbalance by the 1970s. A century-long record of surface undulations from Landsat imagery, linked to basal melt variability, reveals an anomalous mid-20th-century period with persistently high melt rates, possibly indicating the onset time of ice shelf thinning.
James F. O'Neill, Tamsin L. Edwards, Daniel F. Martin, Courtney Shafer, Stephen L. Cornford, Hélène L. Seroussi, Sophie Nowicki, Mira Adhikari, and Lauren J. Gregoire
The Cryosphere, 19, 541–563, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-541-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-541-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use an ice sheet model to simulate the Antarctic contribution to sea level over the 21st century under a range of future climates and varying how sensitive the ice sheet is to different processes. We find that ocean temperatures increase and more snow falls on the ice sheet under stronger warming scenarios. When the ice sheet is sensitive to ocean warming, ocean melt-driven loss exceeds snowfall-driven gains, meaning that the sea level contribution is greater with more climate warming.
Joanne S. Johnson, John Woodward, Ian Nesbitt, Kate Winter, Seth Campbell, Keir A. Nichols, Ryan A. Venturelli, Scott Braddock, Brent M. Goehring, Brenda Hall, Dylan H. Rood, and Greg Balco
The Cryosphere, 19, 303–324, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-303-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-303-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Determining where and when the Antarctic ice sheet was smaller than present requires recovery and exposure dating of subglacial bedrock. Here we use ice sheet model outputs and field data (geological and glaciological observations, bedrock samples, and ground-penetrating radar) to assess the suitability for subglacial drilling of sites in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica. We find that no sites are perfect, but two are feasible, with the most suitable being Winkie Nunatak (74.86°S, 99.77°W).
Luc Houriez, Eric Larour, Lambert Caron, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Surendra Adhikari, Erik Ivins, Tyler Pelle, Hélène Seroussi, Eric Darve, and Martin Fischer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4136, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4136, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how interactions between the ice sheet and the Earth’s evolving surface affect the future of Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica. We find that small features in the bedrock play a major role in these interactions which can delay the glacier’s retreat by decades or even centuries. This can significantly reduce sea-level rise projections. Our work highlights resolution requirements for similar ice—earth models, and the importance of bedrock mapping efforts in Antarctica.
Francesca Baldacchino, Nicholas R. Golledge, Mathieu Morlighem, Huw Horgan, Alanna V. Alevropoulos-Borrill, Alena Malyarenko, Alexandra Gossart, Daniel P. Lowry, and Laurine van Haastrecht
The Cryosphere, 19, 107–127, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-107-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-107-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how the Ross Ice Shelf flow is changing in a warming world is important for predicting ice sheet change. Field measurements show clear intra-annual variations in ice flow; however, it is unclear what mechanisms drive this variability. We show that local perturbations in basal melt can have a significant impact on ice flow speed, but a combination of forcings is likely driving the observed variability in ice flow.
Christiaan T. van Dalum, Willem Jan van de Berg, Michiel R. van den Broeke, and Maurice van Tiggelen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3728, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3728, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we present a new surface mass balance (SMB) and near-surface climate product for Antarctica with the regional climate model RACMO2.4p1. We assess the impact of major model updates on the climate of Antarctica. Locally, the SMB has changed substantially, but also agrees well with observations. In addition, we show that the SMB components, surface energy budget, albedo, pressure, temperature and wind speed compare well with in-situ and remote sensing observations.
Christian T. Wild, Reinhard Drews, Niklas Neckel, Joohan Lee, Sihyung Kim, Hyangsun Han, Won Sang Lee, Veit Helm, Sebastian Harry Reid Rosier, Oliver J. Marsh, and Wolfgang Rack
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3593, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet depends on how resistance along the sides of large glaciers slows down the flow of ice into the ocean. We present a method to map ice strength using the effect of ocean tides on floating ice shelves. Incorporating weaker ice in shear zones improves the accuracy of model predictions compared to satellite observations. This demonstrates the untapped potential of radar satellites to map ice stiffness in the most critical areas for ice sheet stability.
Elise Kazmierczak, Thomas Gregov, Violaine Coulon, and Frank Pattyn
The Cryosphere, 18, 5887–5911, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5887-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5887-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a new fast model for water flow beneath the ice sheet capable of handling various hydrological and bed conditions in a unified way. Applying this model to Thwaites Glacier, we show that accounting for this water flow in ice sheet model projections has the potential to greatly increase the contribution to future sea level rise. We also demonstrate that the sensitivity of the ice sheet in response to external changes depends on the efficiency of the drainage and the bed type.
Allison M. Chartrand, Ian M. Howat, Ian R. Joughin, and Benjamin E. Smith
The Cryosphere, 18, 4971–4992, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4971-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4971-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses high-resolution remote-sensing data to show that shrinking of the West Antarctic Thwaites Glacier’s ice shelf (floating extension) is exacerbated by several sub-ice-shelf meltwater channels that form as the glacier transitions from full contact with the seafloor to fully floating. In mapping these channels, the position of the transition zone, and thinning rates of the Thwaites Glacier, this work elucidates important processes driving its rapid contribution to sea level rise.
Brad Reed, J. A. Mattias Green, Adrian Jenkins, and G. Hilmar Gudmundsson
The Cryosphere, 18, 4567–4587, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4567-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4567-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use a numerical ice-flow model to simulate the response of a 1940s Pine Island Glacier to changes in melting beneath its ice shelf. A decadal period of warm forcing is sufficient to push the glacier into an unstable, irreversible retreat from its long-term position on a subglacial ridge to an upstream ice plain. This retreat can only be stopped when unrealistic cold forcing is applied. These results show that short warm anomalies can lead to quick and substantial increases in ice flux.
Tianming Ma, Zhuang Jiang, Minghu Ding, Pengzhen He, Yuansheng Li, Wenqian Zhang, and Lei Geng
The Cryosphere, 18, 4547–4565, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4547-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4547-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We constructed a box model to evaluate the isotope effects of atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange at Dome A, Antarctica. The results show clear and invisible diurnal changes in surface snow isotopes under summer and winter conditions, respectively. The model also predicts that the annual net effects of atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange would be overall enrichments in snow isotopes since the effects in summer appear to be greater than those in winter at the study site.
Robert G. Bingham, Julien A. Bodart, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Ailsa Chung, Rebecca J. Sanderson, Johannes C. R. Sutter, Olaf Eisen, Nanna B. Karlsson, Joseph A. MacGregor, Neil Ross, Duncan A. Young, David W. Ashmore, Andreas Born, Winnie Chu, Xiangbin Cui, Reinhard Drews, Steven Franke, Vikram Goel, John W. Goodge, A. Clara J. Henry, Antoine Hermant, Benjamin H. Hills, Nicholas Holschuh, Michelle R. Koutnik, Gwendolyn J.-M. C. Leysinger Vieli, Emma J. Mackie, Elisa Mantelli, Carlos Martín, Felix S. L. Ng, Falk M. Oraschewski, Felipe Napoleoni, Frédéric Parrenin, Sergey V. Popov, Therese Rieckh, Rebecca Schlegel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Xueyuan Tang, Thomas O. Teisberg, Kate Winter, Shuai Yan, Harry Davis, Christine F. Dow, Tyler J. Fudge, Tom A. Jordan, Bernd Kulessa, Kenichi Matsuoka, Clara J. Nyqvist, Maryam Rahnemoonfar, Matthew R. Siegfried, Shivangini Singh, Verjan Višnjević, Rodrigo Zamora, and Alexandra Zuhr
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ice sheets covering Antarctica have built up over millenia through successive snowfall events which become buried and preserved as internal surfaces of equal age detectable with ice-penetrating radar. This paper describes an international initiative to work together on this archival data to build a comprehensive 3-D picture of how old the ice is everywhere across Antarctica, and how this will be used to reconstruct past and predict future ice and climate behaviour.
Cari Rand, Richard S. Jones, Andrew N. Mackintosh, Brent Goehring, and Kat Lilly
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2674, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2674, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we determine how recently samples from a mountain in East Antarctica were last covered by the East Antarctic ice sheet. By examining concentrations of carbon-14 in rock samples, we determined that all but the summit of the mountain was buried under glacial ice within the last 15 thousand years. Other methods of estimating past ice thicknesses are not sensitive enough to capture ice cover this recent, so we were previously unaware that ice at this site was thicker at this time.
Ann Kristin Klose, Violaine Coulon, Frank Pattyn, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 18, 4463–4492, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4463-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4463-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We systematically assess the long-term sea-level response from Antarctica to warming projected over the next centuries, using two ice-sheet models. We show that this committed Antarctic sea-level contribution is substantially higher than the transient sea-level change projected for the coming decades. A low-emission scenario already poses considerable risk of multi-meter sea-level increase over the next millennia, while additional East Antarctic ice loss unfolds under the high-emission pathway.
Christian Wirths, Thomas F. Stocker, and Johannes C. R. Sutter
The Cryosphere, 18, 4435–4462, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4435-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4435-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the influence of several regional climate models on the Antarctic Ice Sheet when applied as forcing for the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM). Our study shows that the choice of regional climate model forcing results in uncertainties of around a tenth of those in future sea level rise projections and also affects the extent of grounding line retreat in West Antarctica.
Maria T. Kappelsberger, Martin Horwath, Eric Buchta, Matthias O. Willen, Ludwig Schröder, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 18, 4355–4378, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4355-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4355-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The interannual variations in the height of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) are mainly due to natural variations in snowfall. Precise knowledge of these variations is important for the detection of any long-term climatic trends in AIS surface elevation. We present a new product that spatially resolves these height variations over the period 1992–2017. The product combines the strengths of atmospheric modeling results and satellite altimetry measurements.
Torsten Albrecht, Meike Bagge, and Volker Klemann
The Cryosphere, 18, 4233–4255, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4233-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4233-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We performed coupled ice sheet–solid Earth simulations and discovered a positive (forebulge) feedback mechanism for advancing grounding lines, supporting a larger West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. During deglaciation we found that the stabilizing glacial isostatic adjustment feedback dominates grounding-line retreat in the Ross Sea, with a weak Earth structure. This may have consequences for present and future ice sheet stability and potential rates of sea-level rise.
W. Roger Buck
The Cryosphere, 18, 4165–4176, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4165-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4165-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Standard theory predicts that the edge of an ice shelf should bend downward. Satellite observations show that the edges of many ice shelves bend upward. A new theory for ice shelf bending is developed that, for the first time, includes the kind of vertical variations in ice flow properties expected for ice shelves. Upward bending of shelf edges is predicted as long as the ice surface is very cold and the ice flow properties depend strongly on temperature.
Johannes Feldmann, Anders Levermann, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 18, 4011–4028, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4011-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4011-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here we show in simplified simulations that the (ir)reversibility of the retreat of instability-prone, Antarctica-type glaciers can strongly depend on the depth of the bed depression they rest on. If it is sufficiently deep, then the destabilized glacier does not recover from its collapsed state. Our results suggest that glaciers resting on a wide and deep bed depression, such as Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, are particularly susceptible to irreversible retreat.
Marissa E. Dattler, Brooke Medley, and C. Max Stevens
The Cryosphere, 18, 3613–3631, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3613-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3613-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed an algorithm based on combining models and satellite observations to identify the presence of surface melt on the Antarctic Ice Sheet. We find that this method works similarly to previous methods by assessing 13 sites and the Larsen C ice shelf. Unlike previous methods, this algorithm is based on physical parameters, and updates to this method could allow the meltwater present on the Antarctic Ice Sheet to be quantified instead of simply detected.
Christoph Welling and The RNO-G Collaboration
The Cryosphere, 18, 3433–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3433-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3433-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We report on the measurement of the index of refraction in glacial ice at radio frequencies. We show that radio echoes from within the ice can be associated with specific features of the ice conductivity and use this to determine the wave velocity. This measurement is especially relevant for the Radio Neutrino Observatory Greenland (RNO-G), a neutrino detection experiment currently under construction at Summit Station, Greenland.
Benjamin J. Davison, Anna E. Hogg, Carlos Moffat, Michael P. Meredith, and Benjamin J. Wallis
The Cryosphere, 18, 3237–3251, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using a new dataset of ice motion, we observed glacier acceleration on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The speed-up began around January 2021, but some glaciers sped up earlier or later. Using a combination of ship-based ocean temperature observations and climate models, we show that the speed-up coincided with a period of unusually warm air and ocean temperatures in the region.
Floriane Provost, Dimitri Zigone, Emmanuel Le Meur, Jean-Philippe Malet, and Clément Hibert
The Cryosphere, 18, 3067–3079, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3067-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3067-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The recent calving of Astrolabe Glacier in November 2021 presents an opportunity to better understand the processes leading to ice fracturing. Optical-satellite imagery is used to retrieve the calving cycle of the glacier ice tongue and to measure the ice velocity and strain rates in order to document fracture evolution. We observed that the presence of sea ice for consecutive years has favoured the glacier extension but failed to inhibit the growth of fractures that accelerated in June 2021.
Cristina Gerli, Sebastian Rosier, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, and Sainan Sun
The Cryosphere, 18, 2677–2689, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2677-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2677-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Recent efforts have focused on using AI and satellite imagery to track crevasses for assessing ice shelf damage and informing ice flow models. Our study reveals a weak connection between these observed products and damage maps inferred from ice flow models. While there is some improvement in crevasse-dense regions, this association remains limited. Directly mapping ice damage from satellite observations may not significantly improve the representation of these processes within ice flow models.
Charlotte M. Carter, Michael J. Bentley, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Guy J. G. Paxman, Tom A. Jordan, Julien A. Bodart, Neil Ross, and Felipe Napoleoni
The Cryosphere, 18, 2277–2296, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2277-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2277-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use radio-echo sounding data to investigate the presence of flat surfaces beneath the Evans–Rutford region in West Antarctica. These surfaces may be what remains of laterally continuous surfaces, formed before the inception of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and we assess two hypotheses for their formation. Tectonic structures in the region may have also had a control on the growth of the ice sheet by focusing ice flow into troughs adjoining these surfaces.
Rebecca B. Latto, Ross J. Turner, Anya M. Reading, and J. Paul Winberry
The Cryosphere, 18, 2061–2079, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2061-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2061-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study of icequakes allows for investigation of many glacier processes that are unseen by typical reconnaissance methods. However, detection of such seismic signals is challenging due to low signal-to-noise levels and diverse source mechanisms. Here we present a novel algorithm that is optimized to detect signals from a glacier environment. We apply the algorithm to seismic data recorded in the 2010–2011 austral summer from the Whillans Ice Stream and evaluate the resulting event catalogue.
Rebecca B. Latto, Ross J. Turner, Anya M. Reading, Sue Cook, Bernd Kulessa, and J. Paul Winberry
The Cryosphere, 18, 2081–2101, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2081-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2081-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Seismic catalogues are potentially rich sources of information on glacier processes. In a companion study, we constructed an event catalogue for seismic data from the Whillans Ice Stream. Here, we provide a semi-automated workflow for consistent catalogue analysis using an unsupervised cluster analysis. We discuss the defining characteristics of identified signal types found in this catalogue and possible mechanisms for the underlying glacier processes and noise sources.
Jan De Rydt and Kaitlin Naughten
The Cryosphere, 18, 1863–1888, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1863-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1863-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing ice at an accelerating pace. This is largely due to the presence of warm ocean water around the periphery of the Antarctic continent, which melts the ice. It is generally assumed that the strength of this process is controlled by the temperature of the ocean. However, in this study we show that an equally important role is played by the changing geometry of the ice sheet, which affects the strength of the ocean currents and thereby the melt rates.
Edmund J. Lea, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, and Michael J. Bentley
The Cryosphere, 18, 1733–1751, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1733-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1733-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use the ice surface expression of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains in East Antarctica to map the horizontal pattern of valleys and ridges in finer detail than possible from previous methods. In upland areas, valleys are spaced much less than 5 km apart, with consequences for the distribution of melting at the bed and hence the likelihood of ancient ice being preserved. Automated mapping techniques were tested alongside manual approaches, with a hybrid approach recommended for future work.
In-Woo Park, Emilia Kyung Jin, Mathieu Morlighem, and Kang-Kun Lee
The Cryosphere, 18, 1139–1155, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1139-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study conducted 3D thermodynamic ice sheet model experiments, and modeled temperatures were compared with 15 observed borehole temperature profiles. We found that using incompressibility of ice without sliding agrees well with observed temperature profiles in slow-flow regions, while incorporating sliding in fast-flow regions captures observed temperature profiles. Also, the choice of vertical velocity scheme has a greater impact on the shape of the modeled temperature profile.
Matthew A. Danielson and Philip J. Bart
The Cryosphere, 18, 1125–1138, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1125-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1125-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The post-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Ross Sea was more significant than for any other Antarctic sector. Here we combined the available dates of retreat with new mapping of sediment deposited by the ice sheet during overall retreat. Our work shows that the post-LGM retreat through the Ross Sea was not uniform. This uneven retreat can cause instability in the present-day Antarctic ice sheet configuration and lead to future runaway retreat.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Anna E. Hogg, Stephen L. Cornford, Benjamin J. Wallis, Benjamin J. Davison, Heather L. Selley, Ross A. W. Slater, Elise K. Lie, Livia Jakob, Andrew Ridout, Noel Gourmelen, Bryony I. D. Freer, Sally F. Wilson, and Andrew Shepherd
The Cryosphere, 18, 977–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we use satellite observations and an ice flow model to quantify the impact of sea ice buttressing on ice streams on the Antarctic Peninsula. The evacuation of 11-year-old landfast sea ice in the Larsen B embayment on the East Antarctic Peninsula in January 2022 was closely followed by major changes in the calving behaviour and acceleration (30 %) of the ocean-terminating glaciers. Our results show that sea ice buttressing had a negligible direct role in the observed dynamic changes.
Andrew N. Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar
The Cryosphere, 18, 791–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A total of 937 seawater paired oxygen isotope (δ18O)–salinity samples collected during seven cruises on the SE Amundsen Sea between 1994 and 2020 reveal a deep freshwater source with δ18O − 29.4±1.0‰, consistent with the signature of local ice shelf melt. Local mean meteoric water content – comprised primarily of glacial meltwater – increased between 1994 and 2020 but exhibited greater interannual variability than increasing trend.
Cited articles
Alley, K. E., Scambos, T. A., Miller, J. Z., Long, D. G., and MacFerrin, M.:
Quantifying vulnerability of Antarctic ice shelves to hydrofracture using
microwave scattering properties, Remote Sens. Environ., 210, 297–306,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.03.025, 2018.
Arthur, J. F., Stokes, C. R., Jamieson, S. S. R., Carr, J. R., and Leeson, A. A.: Distribution and seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on Shackleton Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 14, 4103–4120,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4103-2020, 2020a.
Arthur, J. F., Stokes, C. R., Jamieson, S. S. R., Carr, J. R., and Leeson, A. A.: Recent understanding of Antarctic supraglacial lakes using satellite
remote sensing, Prog. Phys. Geogr., 44, 837–869, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133320916114, 2020b.
Banwell, A. F. and Macayeal, D. R.: Ice-shelf fracture due to viscoelastic
flexure stress induced by fill/drain cycles of supraglacial lakes, Antarct.
Sci., 27, 587–597, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102015000292, 2015.
Banwell, A. F., MacAyeal, D. R., and Sergienko, O. V.: Breakup of the Larsen B Ice Shelf triggered by chain reaction drainage of supraglacial lakes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 5872–5876, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL057694, 2013.
Banwell, A. F., Willis, I. C., Macdonald, G. J., Goodsell, B., and MacAyeal,
D. R.: Direct measurements of ice-shelf flexure caused by surface meltwater
ponding and drainage, Nat. Commun., 10, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08522-5, 2019.
Banwell, A. F., Datta, R. T., Dell, R. L., Moussavi, M., Brucker, L., Picard, G., Shuman, C. A., and Stevens, L. A.: The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, The Cryosphere, 15, 909–925, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-909-2021, 2021.
Bartholomew, I., Nienow, P., Mair, D., Hubbard, A., King, M. A., and Sole, A.: Seasonal evolution of subglacial drainage and acceleration in a Greenland outlet glacier, Nat. Geosci., 3, 408–411, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo863, 2010.
Baumhoer, C. A., Dietz, A. J., Kneisel, C., Paeth, H., and Kuenzer, C.:
Environmental drivers of circum-Antarctic glacier and ice shelf front retreat over the last two decades, The Cryosphere, 15, 2357–2381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2357-2021, 2021.
Bell, R. E., Chu, W., Kingslake, J., Das, I., Tedesco, M., Tinto, K. J., Zappa, C. J., Frezzotti, M., Boghosian, A., and Lee, W. S.: Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river,
Nature, 544, 344–348, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22048, 2017.
Bell, R. E., Banwell, A. F., Trusel, L. D., and Kingslake, J.: Antarctic
surface hydrology and impacts on ice-sheet mass balance, Nat. Clim. Change,
8, 1044, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0326-3, 2018.
Bengtsson, L., Koumoutsaris, S., and Hodges, K.: Large-Scale Surface Mass
Balance of Ice Sheets from a Comprehensive Atmospheric Model, Surv. Geophys., 32, 459–474, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9120-8, 2011.
Berthier, E., Scambos, T. A., and Shuman, C. A.: Mass loss of Larsen B
tributary glaciers (Antarctic Peninsula) unabated since 2002, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 39, L13501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051755, 2012.
Bevan, S., Luckman, A., Hendon, H., and Wang, G.: The 2020 Larsen C Ice Shelf surface melt is a 40-year record high, The Cryosphere, 14, 3551–3564,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3551-2020, 2020.
Bindschadler, R., Vornberger, P., Fleming, A., Fox, A., Mullins, J., Binnie,
D., Paulsen, S. J., Granneman, B., and Gorodetzky, D.: The Landsat Image
Mosaic of Antarctica, Remote Sens. Environ., 112, 4214–4226,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2008.07.006, 2008.
BOM: Climate Driver Update, available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/, last access: 22 June 2021.
Buzzard, S., Feltham, D. L., and Flocco, D.: Modelling the fate of surface
melt on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, The Cryosphere, 12, 3565–3575,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3565-2018, 2018.
Cape, M. R., Vernet, M., Skvarca, P., Marinsek, S., Scambos, T., and Domack,
E.: Foehn winds link climate-driven warming to ice shelf evolution in
Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 120, 11037–11057, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023465, 2015.
Cook, A. J. and Vaughan, D. G.: Overview of areal changes of the ice shelves
on the Antarctic Peninsula over the past 50 years, The Cryosphere, 4, 77–98, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-77-2010, 2010.
Datta, R. T., Tedesco, M., Fettweis, X., Agosta, C., Lhermitte, S., Lenaerts, J. T. M., and Wever, N.: The Effect of Foehn-Induced Surface Melt on Firn Evolution Over the Northeast Antarctic Peninsula, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 3822–3831, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080845, 2019.
Dell, R., Arnold, N., Willis, I., Banwell, A., Williamson, A., Pritchard, H., and Orr, A.: Lateral meltwater transfer across an Antarctic ice shelf, The Cryosphere, 14, 2313–2330, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2313-2020, 2020.
Dirscherl, M.: Antarctic Supraglacial Lake Extents 2015–2021, available at: https://download.geoservice.dlr.de/ANTARCTICLAKES/files/, DLR Portal [data set], last access: 18 October 2021.
Dirscherl, M., Dietz, A. J., Kneisel, C., and Kuenzer, C.: Automated Mapping
of Antarctic Supraglacial Lakes Using a Machine Learning Approach, Remote
Sens., 12, 1203, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12071203, 2020.
Dirscherl, M., Dietz, A. J., Kneisel, C., and Kuenzer, C.: A Novel Method
for Automated Supraglacial Lake Mapping in Antarctica Using Sentinel-1 SAR
Imagery and Deep Learning, Remote Sens., 13, 197, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13020197, 2021.
Dow, C. F., Lee, W. S., Greenbaum, J. S., Greene, C. A., Blankenship, D. D.,
Poinar, K., Forrest, A. L., Young, D. A., and Zappa, C. J.: Basal channels
drive active surface hydrology and transverse ice shelf fracture, Sci. Adv.,
4, 6, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao7212, 2018.
Dunmire, D., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Banwell, A. F., Wever, N., Shragge, J.,
Lhermitte, S., Drews, R., Pattyn, F., Hansen, J. S. S., Willis, I. C., Miller, J., and Keenan, E.: Observations of Buried Lake Drainage on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL087970,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087970, 2020.
Echelmeyer, K., Clarke, T. S., and Harrison, W. D.: Surficial glaciology of
Jakobshavns Isbræ, West Greenland: Part I. Surface morphology, J. Glaciol., 37, 368–382, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000005803, 1991.
Foley, K. M., Ferrigno, J. G., Swithinbank, C., Williams Jr., R. S., and
Orndorff, A. L.: Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf
Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004, Int. J. Applied Earth Obs. Geoinform., 78, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2019.01.008, 2013.
Fürst, J. J., Durand, G., Gillet-Chaulet, F., Tavard, L., Rankl, M.,
Braun, M., and Gagliardini, O.: The safety band of Antarctic ice shelves, Nat. Clim. Change, 6, 479–482, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2912, 2016.
Gardner, A. S., Moholdt, G., Scambos, T., Fahnstock, M., Ligtenberg, S., Van den Broeke, M., and Nilsson, J.: Increased West Antarctic and unchanged East Antarctic ice discharge over the last 7 years, The Cryosphere, 12, 521–547, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-521-2018, 2018.
Gilbert, E. and Kittel, C.: Surface Melt and Runoff on Antarctic Ice Shelves
at 1.5 ∘C, 2 ∘C, and 4 ∘C of Future Warming,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, 8, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091733, 2021.
Glasser, N. F. and Gudmundsson, G. H.: Longitudinal surface structures (flowstripes) on Antarctic glaciers, The Cryosphere, 6, 383–391,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-383-2012, 2012.
Gossart, A., Helsen, S., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Broucke, S. V., van Lipzig, N. P. M., and Souverijns, N.: An Evaluation of Surface Climatology in
State-of-the-Art Reanalyses over the Antarctic Ice Sheet, J. Climate, 32,
6899–6915, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0030.1, 2019.
Halberstadt, A. R. W., Gleason, C. J., Moussavi, M. S., Pope, A., Trusel, L.
D., and DeConto, R. M.: Antarctic Supraglacial Lake Identification Using
Landsat-8 Image Classification, Remote Sens., 12, 1327,
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12081327, 2020.
Hambrey, M. J., Davies, B. J., Glasser, N. F., Holt, T. O., Smellie, J. L.,
and Carrivick, J. L.: Structure and sedimentology of George VI Ice Shelf,
Antarctic Peninsula: implications for ice-sheet dynamics and landform
development, J. Geol. Soc., 172, 599–613, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2014-134, 2015.
Hogg, A. E., Shepherd, A., Cornford, S. L., Briggs, K. H., Gourmelen, N.,
Graham, J. A., Joughin, I., Mouginot, J., Nagler, T., Payne, A. J., Rignot, E., and Wuite, J.: Increased ice flow in Western Palmer Land linked to ocean
melting, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 4159–4167, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL072110, 2017.
Holt, T., Glasser, N. F., Quincey, D. J., and Siegfried, M. R.: Speedup and
fracturing of George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, The Cryosphere, 7,
797–816, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-797-2013, 2013a.
Holt, T., Glasser, N., and Quincey, D.: The structural glaciology of southwest Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves (ca. 2010), J. Maps, 9, 523–531,
https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2013.822836, 2013b.
Horwath, M., Dietrich, R., Baessler, M., Nixdorf, U., Steinhage, D., Fritzsche, D., Damm, V., and Reitmayr, G.: Nivlisen, an Antarctic ice shelf
in Dronning Maud Land: geodetic–glaciological results from a combined analysis of ice thickness, ice surface height and ice-flow observations, J.
Glaciol., 52, 17–30, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756506781828953, 2006.
Howat, I. M., Porter, C., Smith, B. E., Noh, M.-J., and Morin, P.: The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 13, 665–674,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-665-2019, 2019.
IMBIE: Antarctica and Greenland Ice Sheet Drainage Basins, IMBIE [data set], http://imbie.org/imbie-2016/drainage-basins/ (last access: 15 June 2021), 2016.
Jiang, H., Yang, Y., Bai, Y., and Wang, H.: Evaluation of the Total, Direct,
and Diffuse Solar Radiations From the ERA5 Reanalysis Data in China, IEEE
Geosci. Remote Sens. Lett., 17, 47–51, https://doi.org/10.1109/LGRS.2019.2916410, 2020.
Jolly, K.: Machine Learning with scikit-learn Quick Start Guide, Packt Publishing Ltd., Birmingham, UK, 2018.
Kingslake, J., Ng, F., and Sole, A.: Modelling channelized surface drainage of supraglacial lakes, J. Glaciol., 61, 185–199, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015JoG14J158, 2015.
Kingslake, J., Ely, J. C., Das, I., and Bell, R. E.: Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves, Nature, 544, 349–352, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22049, 2017.
Kleiner, T. and Humbert, A.: Numerical simulations of major ice streams in
Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, under wet and dry basal conditions,
J. Glaciol., 60, 215–232, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J006, 2014.
Krinner, G., Magand, O., Simmonds, I., Genthon, C., and Dufresne, J.-L.:
Simulated Antarctic precipitation and surface mass balance at the end of the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Clim. Dynam., 28, 215–230,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-006-0177-x, 2007.
Kuipers Munneke, P., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Broeke, M. R. V. D., and Vaughan,
D. G.: Firn air depletion as a precursor of Antarctic ice-shelf collapse, J.
Glaciol., 60, 205–214, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J183, 2014.
Kwok, R. and Comiso, J. C.: Spatial patterns of variability in Antarctic
surface temperature: Connections to the Southern Hemisphere Annular Mode and
the Southern Oscillation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 50-1–50-4,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GL015415, 2002.
LaBarbera, C. H. and MacAyeal, D. R.: Traveling supraglacial lakes on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, 24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL049970, 2011.
Laffin, M. K., Zender, C. S., Singh, S., Wessem, J. M. V., Smeets, C. J. P.
P., and Reijmer, C. H.: Climatology and Evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula
Föhn Wind-Induced Melt Regime From 1979–2018, Geophys. Res. Lett., 126,
e2020JD033682, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033682, 2021.
Lai, C.-Y., Kingslake, J., Wearing, M. G., Chen, P.-H. C., Gentine, P., Li,
H., Spergel, J. J., and van Wessem, J. M.: Vulnerability of Antarctica's ice
shelves to meltwater-driven fracture, Nature, 584, 574–578,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2627-8, 2020.
Langley, E. S., Leeson, A. A., Stokes, C. R., and Jamieson, S. S. R.: Seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on an East Antarctic outlet glacier, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 8563–8571, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069511, 2016.
Leeson, A. A., Forster, E., Rice, A., Gourmelen, N., and Van Wessem, J. M.:
Evolution of supraglacial lakes on the Larsen B ice shelf in the decades
before it collapsed, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, 4, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085591, 2020.
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Vizcaino, M., Fyke, J., van Kampenhout, L., and van den
Broeke, M. R.: Present-day and future Antarctic ice sheet climate and surface mass balance in the Community Earth System Model, Clim. Dynam., 47, 1367–1381, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2907-4, 2016.
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Lhermitte, S., Drews, R., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Berger,
S., Helm, V., Smeets, C. J. P. P., van den Broeke, M. R., van de Berg, W.
J., van Meijgaard, E., Eijkelboom, M., Eisen, O., and Pattyn, F.: Meltwater
produced by wind–albedo interaction stored in an East Antarctic ice shelf,
Nat. Clim. Change, 7, 58–62, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3180, 2017.
Lhermitte, S., Sun, S., Shuman, C., Wouters, B., Pattyn, F., Wuite, J.,
Berthier, E., and Nagler, T.: Damage accelerates ice shelf instability and
mass loss in Amundsen Sea Embayment, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117, 24735–24741, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1912890117, 2020.
Louis, J., Debaecker, V., Pflug, B., Main-Knorn, M., Bieniarz, J., Mueller-Wilm, U., Cadau, E., and Gascon, F.: Sentinel-2 Sen2Cor: L2A Processor For Users, in: Proc. Living Planet Symposium 2016, Prague, Czech
Republic, 2016.
Luckman, A., Elvidge, A., Jansen, D., Kulessa, B., Munneke, P. K., King, J.,
and Barrand, N. E.: Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice Shelf and the
impact of föhn winds, Antarct. Sci., 26, 625–635,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102014000339, 2014.
Marshall, G. J.: Trends in the Southern Annular Mode from Observations and
Reanalyses, J. Climate, 16, 4134–4143, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<4134:TITSAM>2.0.CO;2, 2003.
Marshall, G. J.: The Climate Data Guide: Marshall Southern Annular Mode (SAM) Index (Station-based), National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff [data set], https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/marshall-southern-annular-mode-sam-index-station-based,
(last access: 20 June 2021), 2018.
McGrath, D., Steffen, K., Rajaram, H., Scambos, T., Abdalati, W., and Rignot, E.: Basal crevasses on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica: Implications for meltwater ponding and hydrofracture, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, 16, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL052413, 2012.
Meredith, M., Sommerkorn, M., Cassotta, S., Derksen, C., Ekaykin, A., Hollowed, A., Kofinas, G., Mackintosh, A., Melbourne-Thomas, J., Muelbert,
M. M. C., Ottersen, G., Pritchard, H., and Schuur, E. A. G.: Polar Regions,
in: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, edited by: Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, D. C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Tignor, M., Poloczanska, E., Mintenbeck, K., Alegría, A., Nicolai, M., Okem, A., Petzold, J., Rama, B., and Weyer, N. M., in press, 2019.
Minchew, B. M., Gudmundsson, G. H., Gardner, A. S., Paolo, F. S., and Fricker, H. A.: Modeling the dynamic response of outlet glaciers to observed
ice-shelf thinning in the Bellingshausen Sea Sector, West Antarctica, J.
Glaciol., 64, 333–342, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.24, 2018.
Mouginot, J., Scheuchl, B., and Rignot, E.: MEaSUREs Antarctic Boundaries
for IPY 2007–2009 from Satellite Radar, Version 2, [Coastline, grounding
line data], NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center [data set], Boulder, Colorado, USA, https://doi.org/10.5067/AXE4121732AD (last access: 17 October 2021), 2017.
Moussavi, M., Pope, A., Halberstadt, A. R. W., Trusel, L. D., Cioffi, L.,
and Abdalati, W.: Antarctic Supraglacial Lake Detection Using Landsat 8 and
Sentinel-2 Imagery: Towards Continental Generation of Lake Volumes, Remote
Sens., 12, 134, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12010134, 2020.
Müller, C. and Guido, S.: Introduction to Machine Learning with Python:
A Guide for Data Scientists, O'Reilly Media, Inc., Sebastopol, USA, 2016.
Munoz Sabater, J.: ERA5-Land hourly data from 1981 to present, Copernicus
Climate Change Service (C3S) Climate Data Store (CDS) [data set]
https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.e2161bac, 2019.
NSIDC: The Antarctic 2020 to 2021 melt season in review, available at:
http://nsidc.org/greenland-today/2021/04/the-antarctic-2020-to-2021-melt-season-in-review/,
last access: 23 June 2021.
Padman, L., Costa, D. P., Dinniman, M. S., Fricker, H. A., Goebel, M. E.,
Huckstadt, L. A., Humbert, A., Joughin, I., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Ligtenberg,
S. R. M., Scambos, T., and van den Broeke, M. R.: Oceanic controls on the
mass balance of Wilkins Ice Shelf, Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 117,
C1, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JC007301, 2012.
Reynolds, J. M.: Lakes on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Polar Rec., 20,
425–432, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247400003636, 1981.
Reynolds, J. M. and Hambrey, M. J.: The structural glaciology of George VI
Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, Brit. Antarct. Surv. B., 79, 79–95, 1988.
Rignot, E., Casassa, G., Gogineni, P., Krabill, W., Rivera, A., and Thomas, R.: Accelerated ice discharge from the Antarctic Peninsula following the
collapse of Larsen B ice shelf, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, 18, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020697, 2004.
Rignot, E., Jacobs, S., Mouginot, J., and Scheuchl, B.: Ice-Shelf Melting
Around Antarctica, Science, 341, 266–270, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1235798, 2013.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Scheuchl, B., Van den Broeke, M., Van Wessem, M.,
and Morlighem, M.: Four decades of Antarctic Ice Sheet mass balance from 1979–2017, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116, 1095–1103, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812883116, 2019.
Rott, H., Abdel Jaber, W., Wuite, J., Scheiblauer, S., Floricioiu, D., Van Wessem, J. M., Nagler, T., Miranda, N., and Van den Broeke, M. R.: Changing pattern of ice flow and mass balance for glaciers discharging into the Larsen A and B embayments, Antarctic Peninsula, 2011 to 2016, The
Cryosphere, 12, 1273–1291, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1273-2018, 2018.
Scambos, T. A., Bohlander, J. A., Shuman, C. A., and Skvarca, P.: Glacier
acceleration and thinning after ice shelf collapse in the Larsen B embayment, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, 18, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020670, 2004.
Shen, Q., Wang, H., Shum, C. K., Jiang, L., Hsu, H. T., and Dong, J.: Recent
high-resolution Antarctic ice velocity maps reveal increased mass loss in
Wilkes Land, East Antarctica, Sci. Rep., 8, 4477, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22765-0, 2018.
Siegert, M. J., Kulessa, B., Bougamont, M., Christoffersen, P., Key, K.,
Andersen, K. R., Booth, A. D., and Smith, A. M.: Antarctic subglacial groundwater: a concept paper on its measurement and potential influence on
ice flow, Geol. Soc., 461, 197–213, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP461.8, 2018.
Spergel, J. J., Kingslake, J., Creyts, T., van Wessem, M., and Fricker, H. A.: Surface meltwater drainage and ponding on Amery Ice Shelf, East
Antarctica, 1973–2019, J. Glaciol., 67, 985–998, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.46, 2021.
Stokes, C. R., Sanderson, J. E., Miles, B. W. J., Jamieson, S. S. R., and
Leeson, A. A.: Widespread distribution of supraglacial lakes around the margin of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Sci. Rep., 9, 1–14,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50343-5, 2019.
Tetzner, D., Thomas, E., and Allen, C.: A Validation of ERA5 Reanalysis Data
in the Southern Antarctic Peninsula–Ellsworth Land Region, and Its Implications for Ice Core Studies, Geosciences, 9, 289,
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9070289, 2019.
The IMBIE Team: Mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 1992 to 2017,
Nature, 558, 219–222, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0179-y, 2018.
Tong, X., Liu, S., Li, R., Xie, H., Liu, S., Qiao, G., Feng, T., Tian, Y., and Ye, Z.: Multi-track extraction of two-dimensional surface velocity by the combined use of differential and multiple-aperture InSAR in the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, Remote Sens. Environ., 204, 122–137,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.10.036, 2018.
Trusel, L. D., Frey, K. E., Das, S. B., Karnauskas, K. B., Kuipers Munneke,
P., van Meijgaard, E., and van den Broeke, M. R.: Divergent trajectories of
Antarctic surface melt under two twenty-first-century climate scenarios, Nat. Geosci., 8, 927–932, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2563, 2015.
Tuckett, P. A., Ely, J. C., Sole, A. J., Livingstone, S. J., Davison, B. J.,
van Wessem, J. M., and Howard, J.: Rapid accelerations of Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers driven by surface melt, Nat. Commun., 10, 1–8,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12039-2, 2019.
Turton, J. V., Kirchgaessner, A., Ross, A. N., King, J. C., and Kuipers Munneke, P.: The influence of föhn winds on annual and seasonal surface melt on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 14, 4165–4180, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4165-2020, 2020.
Urraca, R., Huld, T., Gracia-Amillo, A., Martinez-de-Pison, F. J., Kaspar, F., and Sanz-Garcia, A.: Evaluation of global horizontal irradiance estimates from ERA5 and COSMO-REA6 reanalyses using ground and satellite-based data, Solar Energy, 164, 339–354, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.02.059, 2018.
van Wessem, J. M., van de Berg, W. J., Noël, B. P. Y., van Meijgaard, E., Amory, C., Birnbaum, G., Jakobs, C. L., Krüger, K., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Lhermitte, S., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Medley, B., Reijmer, C. H., van Tricht, K., Trusel, L. D., van Ulft, L. H., Wouters, B., Wuite, J., and van den Broeke, M. R.: Modelling the climate and surface mass balance of polar ice sheets using RACMO2 – Part 2: Antarctica (1979–2016), The Cryosphere, 12, 1479–1498, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1479-2018, 2018.
van Wessem, J. M., Steger, C. R., Wever, N., and van den Broeke, M. R.: An
exploratory modelling study of perennial firn aquifers in the Antarctic Peninsula for the period 1979–2016, The Cryosphere, 15, 695–714,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-695-2021, 2021.
Wachter, P., Beck, C., Philipp, A., Höppner, K., and Jacobeit, J.:
Spatiotemporal Variability of the Southern Annular Mode and its Influence on
Antarctic Surface Temperatures, J. Geophys. Res., 125, e2020JD033818,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033818, 2020.
Wagner, A. C.: Flooding of the ice shelf in George VI Sound, Brit. Antarct.
Surv. B., 28, 71–74, 1972.
Wessel, B., Huber, M., Wohlfart, C., Bertram, A., Osterkamp, N., Marschalk, U., Gruber, A., Reuß, F., Abdullahi, S., Georg, I., and Roth, A.: TanDEM-X PolarDEM 90 m of Antarctica: Generation and error characterization, The Cryosphere Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-19, in review, 2021.
Short summary
We provide novel insight into the temporal evolution of supraglacial lakes across six major Antarctic ice shelves in 2015–2021. For Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves, we observe extensive meltwater ponding during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 summers. Over East Antarctica, lakes were widespread during 2016–2019 and at a minimum in 2020–2021. We investigate environmental controls, revealing lake ponding to be coupled to atmospheric modes, the near-surface climate and the local glaciological setting.
We provide novel insight into the temporal evolution of supraglacial lakes across six major...
